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Bonnabel High School unveils kitchen for culinary arts program

Grand opening of Bonnabel High School‘s ProStart kitchen

ProStart student, Phillip Savoie, right, serves James Blanchard, the ProStart coordinator with the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation, during the grand opening of Alfred Bonnabel Magnet Academy High School’s ProStart kitchen in Kenner on Wednesday, February 27, 2013. The Jefferson Parish Public School System and the Alfred Bonnabel Magnet Academy High School’s ProStart Program, along with the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation unveiled the school’s new commercial-grade kitchen, bakery and dining room during the event. ProStart students prepared and served bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms and deviled eggs for guest. (Photo by Brett Duke, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
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Bonnabel High school recently unveiled a new 1,400-square-foot kitchen designed for the students of its culinary arts program. The new kitchen is part of ProStart, a nationwide program that prepares students for jobs in the restaurant industry.

The ProStart program in Louisiana is run by the Louisiana Restaurant Association. Chairman David Hearn said the students are learning skills transferrable to any working environment. “ProStart does so much more than just teaching them the basic of cooking and culinary skills and leading them into the future in the industry. It teaches them teamwork and communication skills so that whatever dream they have, whether it’s culinary school, restaurant and hotel management, whatever, they know how to communicate."

ProStart student Zachary Ziegler prepares bruschetta during the grand opening of Alfred Bonnabel Magnet Academy High Schoolâs ProStart kitchen in Kenner on Wednesday, February 27, 2013. The Jefferson Parish Public School System and the Alfred Bonnabel Magnet Academy High Schoolâs ProStart Program, along with the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation unveiled the schoolâs new commercial-grade kitchen, bakery and dining room during the event. ProStart students prepared and served bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms and deviled eggs for guest. (Photo by Brett Duke, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)

Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni was also on hand at the unveiling and spoke of the program's potential impact on the area. “When you look at the statistics, we have a total of 147 businesses in Kenner where you can walk in and eat. In the state, there are 9,129, according to the Louisiana Restaurant Association. Restaurants are the largest private retail employer in Louisiana, with 197,000 jobs, which totals to 10 percent of the jobs in the state. So the future of the restaurant industry in Louisiana is great. This is something I believe is very great for the kids of this community,” Yenni said.

Bonnabel Senior Zach Ziegler is one of the students the program has inspired to pursue a future in the culinary arts, “I’ve been in it since my sophomore year. I’m on going to a culinary school once I leave here. I’ve learned everything from basic knife skills to plating food,” Ziegler said.

“They love the program. I have to turn students away there are so many that want to come into the program,” pro start teacher Emile Meydrich said, speaking on the program's impact on the students. “It’s a great learning experience for them, something that they normally don’t get.”

Meydrich also spoke on the specifics of what each student is learning and how those skills help them procure future employment.

“We have six stations, and it’s four to a station. So it’s four working as a team on the culinary task. Each one is assigned a different task. One will be doing the prep work. One will be doing the sautéing. One will be doing the garnishing and plating and so forth..

"They all have to clean up after themselves. It has to be back to normal after they’ve finished. They are graded on every part of it, the cleanliness, the execution, the food itself. They have the technical skills once they leave the program and can step in and get a job,” Meydrich said.